Warrior of Flame
by FernClaw
Summary: After the defeat of Lucemon, the chosen children return to the Human World, leaving the spirits behind to defend the Digital World. During a fight with the sorceress, Kuzuhamon, Agunimon finds himself far from home, in a completely new world. AU One-Shot
1. Chapter 1

Posted on: September 8th, 2009

Fc: -laughs- I don't know what this is really. I was uber bored over the summer, and only just got around to finishing this. I may expand on it, I may not. I like it though.

* * *

Warrior of Flame

Agunimon opened his eyes slowly, pain coursing through his body. Every inch of his body ached. He couldn't move at all due to his various injuries, which left him lying on the ground helpless. He soon found himself breathing hard for lack of air. His chest armor had been dented in such a way that his lungs were being crushed. He had to get the armor off somehow.

He gingerly moved his right hand to his side and began clawing at the armor. Luckily it was damaged enough that it broke away easily, releasing the pressure on his chest. Agunimon inhaled deeply, closing his eyes. He lay still letting the increased airflow into his body.

Where was he anyhow? Agunimon painfully pushed himself upright, trying to ignore the searing pain in his sides. His bright blue eyes scanned the area quickly. The air… It was foreign to him. He wasn't in the grassy spans of the Digital Plains anymore. Thick, lush foliage surrounded him, leaving the Warrior to the conclusion he was deep within a temperate forest.

But how? The last he remembered was fighting that evil sorceress Kuzuhamon with Lobomon and Kazemon. Agunimon ran his hand through his wild blonde hair, trying to think. Kuzuhamon had set fire to the dry grass, entrapping Lobomon. Kazemon had tried to rescue him, but her attack on the flames only made them worse. He remembered going after the demon fox Digimon.

He rubbed his temples trying to sort out what had happened. Part of his face mask crumbled and fell away. Agunimon blinked, holding the pieces in his hands. What kind of attack could damage his armor this severely, and still let him live? The warrior shook his head, letting everything slowly sink in. Whatever had happened did happen, he couldn't change that. All that mattered now was finding a way back to help his friends.

The Warrior of Flame sighed heavily. He had to get up, get moving. Lobomon and Kazemon were formidable yet Kuzuhamon was a mega level demonic Digimon. When he was still with them, they were losing… He gritted his teeth and tried to stand. He struggled to his feet, gasping. He staggered, grabbing onto a maple tree for support. _I'm weaker than I realized. _

Agunimon steadied himself against the sturdy tree. He inhaled and took a tentative step. His legs couldn't support his weight anymore, sending the warrior back to his knees. He panted, tears of agony forming in his eyes. He had to be strong. He had to figure out how to get back… but how?

He somehow managed to pull himself back to his feet, leaning against the maple tree heavily. His breath came in short, ragged bursts. Whatever attack had hit him had totally drained the Flame Warrior of energy and heavily damaged his armor. He couldn't make it back, not like this.

* * *

Moriko steadily drove the wagon through the densest parts of the forest. She knew the path better than anyone else, having been born and raised in the forest. Her name literally meant "Forest Child", and in a sense she was. Her family lived in the woods for many years, owning and maintaining an inn for weary travelers.

The woods didn't frighten her like it did so many others. Her horse for example, was easily spooked by the forest's hidden occupants. He may be a big, strong, shire horse, but he would freak out if a squirrel crossed his path. Moriko on the other hand enjoyed the forest animals and all of the secrets they held.

Today, there was something that felt off about the air. Something… Something had disturbed the forest's natural calm. Moriko slowed her dark chestnut stallion to a stop. "Steady boy," She said firmly, climbing down from the wagon.

Moriko quietly crept into the brush, straining to hear any signs of life. Up until this point the forest had been alive with the chatter of birds, squirrels and other animals. Now the forest was deathly silent. She slowly approached a clearing in the trees, hearing what sounded like something moving through the undergrowth. She brushed her long dark brown hair away from her eyes and peeked around a tree.

A man stood leaning against a maple tree. His sides were heaving heavily, and he looked like he had been in a pretty nasty fight. From where she stood, he looked to be about 20 to 22, close to her own age. His long blonde hair cascaded down his back in matted tangles. He had the remains of scarlet armor hanging off his arms and legs. More fragmented pieces lay scattered about on the forest floor. He appeared to be a soldier of some sort.

_Maybe he's with the Calcohen royal guard…_ Moriko thought suddenly. If he was, she had to help him. They were the only ones who could protect her homeland from the horrible Mitsu'nai invaders. If he wasn't, she could very well be sentenced with treason against the capital and put to death. She cringed, that was not a nice image.

She held her breath as she watched the man from afar. He didn't seem hostile… just hurt. She made up her mind. Moriko stepped out from behind her hiding place. The man noticed her presence and stiffened, his feral looking blue eyes watching her more intently than a hawk, searching for danger.

"Hi, I'm Moriko. Do you need help?" she asked kindly, extending a hand to show she meant him no harm.

The man said nothing, studying her.

"Do you need help?" she repeated to the silent warrior. Still nothing. "Do you understand English!?"

He blinked. "What- What is this place?" he asked quietly, his tone sounding lost, with a hint of fear.

She smiled softly, moving closer to the man. "You're in the middle of Calcoha Forest." His expression turned into one of confusion. "What's wrong? Are you lost?" She asked softly.

His eyes shifted from her to the ground. She caught a flicker of fear and sadness in his fierce eyes. His inner pain became evident as tears welled in his eyes. He shook his head slowly. He gasped, his grip on the tree loosening. He fell to his knees, clutching his sides.

Moriko knelt beside the warrior. "Are you alright?"

He shook his head softly as he pulled his hand away from his side. Blood covered his fingers, shimmering with a hue of blue data. He looked at her weakly; fatigue finally catching him.

"Who are you?" she asked, voice barely a whisper.

He locked eyes with her, face paling. "I am, the Warrior of Flame."

* * *

This is one of MANY One-Shots and half written fics I have cluttering my document folders. (I'm such a pack rat, I have stuff from elementary school still), ANYWHO, I may post more of them over time. I may not. depends on my mood and feeling of the ficlets in question. Not the point, if you like this and want to see more of it or more of my little ficlets, just tell me!


	2. Chapter 2

Posted on: September 15th, 2009

Fc: Haha, Wow... didn't expect this to happen. Like at all. I've honestly tried for months to finish the first chapter to this thing, with little success. I eventually do, and I post it with no plan of continuation... Then I get the reviews! This chapter seriously came into existance the night I posted chapter one. scary huh?  
Anywho this means I'm now producing two fics, which often has mixed results. But that also means writer's block is less likely to occur -knocks on wood-

ENJOY!

Disclaimer: In no way shape or form, does Fernclaw come remotely close to owning Digimon.

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Warrior of Flame  
Chapter 2

He opened his eyes slowly, letting the world come into focus. The room blurred into mixed browns and blues. Wait… room?

Agunimon's eyes shot open, surveying his surroundings. He was lying on a cot in a small lightly furnished bedroom. The walls were made up of light pine and red mahogany paneling. The ceiling comprise of a similar mahogany wood, and the floor, sturdy white-gold pine. A solid wood door stood across from the bed. A dark wood dresser stood in the corner of the room, with a potted plant perched on top.

His eyes flicked to a small evergreen colored armchair. A small stack of freshly laundered clothing sat on the chair. He then noted that the rest of his armor had been removed save for the black body suit. The warrior blinked, where was he? How did he get here? The brass doorknob jiggled and twisted; Agunimon tensed up instinctively.

A young, slim woman poked her head inside quietly. A smile spread across her face. "Oh good! You're awake! How're you feeling?"

He stared at her quizzically. "Where is my armor?" he asked sharply.

She opened her mouth, but smiled instead. "Don't worry. My brother is trying to repair it. He's a blacksmith." She entered the room fully.

Agunimon's eyes scanned the women trying to detect deception. She was tan, with dark brown hair and deep green eyes. He guessed she was telling the truth. He was too weak and tired to tell otherwise. He closed his eyes, sighing heavily. He gasped in pain suddenly, his hand moving to his side.

The woman moved to his side, inspecting his injury. "You're wounded pretty badly," she whispered, seeing dark liquid seeping through Agunimon's black body suit. She extended her hand out to Agunimon's side, lightly touching the blood soaked cloth. He winced, inhaling sharply.

"Don't move too much, you'll only hurt yourself worse." She advised as he tried to sit up. He grunted, but let her carefully remove his black body suit just past his injury, and no further. His chest was bruised and bloodied. His sides that had been unprotected were oozing blood.

Moriko shook her head, "That's one nasty gash there. I need to go get some antiseptic to clean it up properly."

Agunimon watched her go silently. He relaxed slightly, as he let his mind wander back to his friends. He wondered if Lobomon and Kazemon were in the same or similar situation as himself. He hoped they were still safe in the Digiworld. He hoped they managed to take Kuzuhamon down without much injury. He hoped they weren't worrying too much about him.

The woman returned moments later with a damp cloth, a roll of bandage, and a bottle of antiseptic liquid. The blonde warrior eyed the bottle cautiously as she went back to his side. She carefully poured the pungent liquid onto the cloth. She pressed the cloth to the open wound gently. Agunimon's eyes widened with shock at the sharp, sudden pain. He hissed as the liquid stung his flesh.

"Sorry," she apologized quietly.

Agunimon looked up at her, "why? You're helping me- a complete stranger."

"Oh you speak!" Moriko replied with mock shock. She grinned, "I'm helping you because it's the right thing to do."

The blonde warrior smiled weakly. "Your sense of humor reminds me of a dear friend." He said calmly thinking of Lobomon.

"Does it now?" she replied quietly, continuing to clean his wounds.

He smiled softly. "Where are we?" he asked.

"You're in the Forest Inn, My brother, Shirou, and I look after any travelers who come through the Calcoha Forest." His eyebrows furrowed. The woman's features flickered to a solemn stare. "You're far from home, huh?"

"You have no idea." He replied grimly.

Moriko said nothing as she continued to clean his various injuries. She stood once she finished, folding the bloody rag in half. She picked up the half empty bottle of antibacterial liquid. She moved to the door, then paused. "You know, I never caught your name…" she said thoughtfully, turning back to face the blonde warrior.

"My name…" Agunimon paused, thinking. What could he tell her to call him? "Agni. It's Agni."

The woman's eyebrows rose, "As in the Neki Fire God?"

"…Yeah," _sure… whatever that is, _Agunimon thought to himself.

She shrugged. "Explains your title, oh Warrior of Flame," she replied with an impish grin. Moriko turned and left, closing the door behind her. She walked down the hall to discard the bloodied rag.

_So he's not with the Royal Guard… But who is he? Is he Mitsu'nai? _Moriko wondered to herself as she dropped the rag into a garbage pail. She got the feeling he wasn't being entirely honest with her. She sighed, she could question the mysterious warrior later. Now, she decided it was time to check up on her dear brother's progress.

* * *

"Shirou?" Moriko called softly as she entered the shed behind the Inn. She spies sparks flying from hot metal. She peered around the wall and saw a tall, muscular figure hunched over an anvil, pounding away on a piece of metal. "Shirou," She called more firmly.

The man jumped, dropping the mallet he had been holding. He whirled around to face Moriko, "Moriko! How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me when I'm working!?" he half demanded, half asked.

"Too many times to count." She replied. She looked around her brother, spying a piece of familiar-looking bright red armor. "How's our guest's armor coming?" she asked.

Shirou brushed some of his dark blonde hair away from his face. "It won't bend. It has to be made of some foreign metal! No matter what I do, I can't hammer out the dents, or fuse the pieces back together. I've never seen anything like it!"

Moriko looked puzzled, "Well how did it get dented if it won't bend?"

"No idea. The chest plate is severely dented, and cracked. No matter what I do, I can't fix it. I've tried to bend it, pound it, heat it, and fill it with a substitute metal. Nothing works!" Shirou exclaimed, obviously frustrated.

The woman smiled softly, "You'll figure it out."

"Not today, I'm done messing with it until our guest wakes up. I want to know what the hell this stuff is made out of." Shirou grumbled, putting his tools away.

"He's awake." Moriko offered.

Shirou turned. "Since when!?" he asked, slightly shocked.

She shrugged, "Dunno, but he's awake now."

"Huh- Did he say anything?"

Moriko nodded, "Not much. He said his name is Agni."

"Like the Neki fire god?" the blonde asked, facing Moriko; His expression skeptical.

"I said the same thing!" Moriko exclaimed, "I guess. He's pretty quiet- and distant. I don't think he's with the Royal Guard- or the Mitsu'nai. He didn't seem to register the Calcoha Forest as familiar to him. I think he's lost."

* * *

Lame ending aside, I feel it was good so far. I kinda ran out of ideas on how to stop without starting another conflict; thus this ending... oh well, they can't ALL be good.


End file.
